


Rings of Protection

by StripedScribe



Category: Daredevil (TV), The Punisher (TV 2017)
Genre: Demons, Devils, M/M, Matt is actually the Devil, Occult, Salt Rings, Witchcraft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 13:54:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29333373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StripedScribe/pseuds/StripedScribe
Summary: Everyone knew Hell’s Kitchen had it’s own devil. Had had one for years, the reason they’d stopped calling it Clinton.Fewer people knew he was real, and that he existed outside of that mantle of Daredevil.Fewer again were brave enough to break their salt circles, open the door for the Devil.And then there was the one who'd fallen in love with him.FrattWeek [Ring]
Relationships: Frank Castle/Matt Murdock
Comments: 6
Kudos: 34
Collections: Fratt Week





	Rings of Protection

Everyone knew Hell’s Kitchen had it’s own devil. Had had one for years, was the reason they’d stopped calling it Clinton. Fewer people knew he was real, and that he existed outside of that mantle of Daredevil. Fewer again were brave enough to break their salt circles, open the door for the Devil.

In a world where everything had proven itself to be real, the residents of Hell stuck to their beliefs, passed down through the generations. That a ring of salt would keep out evil, that it would keep the devil from knocking down your door. To break your ring was a message, welcoming him into your home, opening your door, your heart to the Devil. A ghost, something that couldn’t, shouldn’t exist. Even those who refused to believe, still kept their salt rings intact. Because he always knows. He always knows when someone breaks their ring, and seeks them out.

It turns into a cry for help, for some people. the one way they know they can scream without being heard, be rescued from their worst places. Circles of salt formed into rings, a safety for those travelling at night, to break it when they had no other choice.

The curious, breaking their salt circles, they don't talk about the Devil that came to visit them. They can't, too terrified of what they see. False screams and nightmares to follow.

The braver ones, that have seen the city with the Devil, step outside of their circles to talk to him. Vigilantes, protectors of the night. Softly open their circles, to let him into the warmth of their homes, their lives.

This arrangement wasn’t without its novelties, for those who knew the Devil the best. For those who ended up with their own names, running alongside the Devil in the darkest nights. Learning his secrets, helping him to survive, a Devil stranded in a human’s world.

The Punisher, who’d fought with the Devil yet again, remaking his ring with muttered comments. Sitting just inside it, watching the sun rise, waiting for the Devil to traipse home again. Light-footed in a red suit, he landed on the roof, climbing down the fire escape, and moving as though to step through the window. Only to be stopped by an invisible barrier, a shocked face as he realised what had happened.

“Frank, really?” It was hard, at times like this, to relate this Devil to the myths of the kitchen. A whining voice, a frowning face. “Is this about the coffee?”

“Oh you do remember.”

He crouched down on the fire-escape, head tilted towards Frank. “I said I’d buy yours tomorrow. Aren’t we square?” An unfortunate incident, in which he’d accidentally snuck up on Frank, losing his morning’s cup of coffee down the both of them.

“We would be, if you hadn’t emptied all we had in the apartment as well.”

“Oh. Was that me? I thought we had more in the cupboard?”

“Empty Red. It’s all gone. You’re not coming in until I have more coffee.”

“But, I can’t go in this.” He slipped down, sitting with his legs outstretched, sulking. “I need human clothes Frank, I’m not going to get anywhere without being doused in holy water or something.”

“Coffee Red.”

“I’ll order some, I’ll give you some money, you can order some. They’ll deliver it right here, just as quick as me going to the shop. Quicker even.” A lot of shops used salt circles, and it made his turns to go shopping very difficult. The number of times he’d been sat outside a shop just waiting for Frank like a child, because he couldn’t physically step inside.

It was good he didn’t legally exist, the difficulties he’d have in trying to get inside many buildings, relying on people far too much for different errands. Being able to get inside a building one day, and the next it had been sold, the new owners putting a ring in. At night time, it was useful, rescuing those in difficulties inside their own homes, able to break their ring, but focusing mostly on the streets, calling in to the police for the areas he couldn’t reach.

And being physically barred from his own home because his partner wasn’t happy with him. It wasn’t fair. “Frank, I can’t. I need clothes if you want to wait an hour for coffee and I’ll walk, or we can order some from that new shop up the road. They deliver. Please Frank?”

“Red, that god-damn face. This is how you win all of us over. Come on.” He pushed apart the salt, breaking the protection on their apartment.

“I still think we should get rid of the salt in here. We don’t need it.”

“Unlike you, I enjoy it on my food. We are keeping salt. Go get changed and we’ll take a walk for coffee.”


End file.
